As soon as an enchondroma causes discomfort, it must be resected.
Other indications for surgical intervention include:
- Enchondroma close to the trunk – femur (thigh bone) and humerus (upper arm bone) – or located in the trunk skeleton.
- → risk of degeneration
- → more expansive behavior
- → tendency to relapse (recurrence of the disease).
- More severe pain – caveat: rest and night pain may indicate malignant (malignant) degeneration!
- Fracture or fracture risk due to thinning of the cortical bone (outer bone layer).
- Growth behavior – continued growth of the enchondroma, although the physiological body growth is completed.
- Uncertain differentiation from chondrosarcoma.
- Multiple occurrence of enchondromas
Method of choice for most benign (benign) bone tumors is intralesional resection:
- Procedure: Opening of the tumor → curettage → filling of the bone defect with autologous (from the same individual) bone material (e.g., from the iliac crest), stabilization with metallic implants (intramedullary nail, angle plate) if necessary.
